Avengers & X-Men: The Return
by Reborn Dark Phoenix
Summary: Hope Summers feels her connection. Cyclops hears her voice. Nova suffered her wrath. Wolverine fears her arrival. And now, the Avengers and X-Men must face her might. Jean Grey, the Phoenix Force incarnate, is returning to Earth. {Inspired by Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return" and Avengers vs. X-Men; AU}
1. Announced

_**Readers, The saga of Avengers vs. X-Men has come and gone, but wonder-what if the two teams had worked to stop the Phoenix from the beginning? Well, after watching "The Return" episode of Justice League Unlimited, I came up with this idea. Now, this continuity is AU, incorporates various line-ups of various Avengers teams and has some elements of the episode. These are the Marvel events that happened in this continuity, altered to my leisure and not: Schism, Utopia, Decimation, House of M, Children's Crusade and Dark Phoenix Saga. For those who are unfamiliar with the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance, this Phoenix/Jean Grey is based of the Phoenix 5 version in the game (refer to story picture).**_

_**Now, to begin. Enjoy :)**_

Chapter 1: Announced

***Avengers Tower, New York City, Earth; home of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes.***

"Nova Richard Rider; we are informing you that your leave from your Earth duties and return to Xandar duties…is being delayed. You are to remain on Earth for the time being until summoned; Nova Sam Alexander will remain on active Corps duties on Xandar. Both of you shall await further orders of deployment."

Richard stared at the screen, mouth agape. It took him a few seconds more than necessary to register the Nova Centurion Prime's words. Sam would be staying in deep space, and he would be remaining on Earth. Once Sam had taken the mantle of a Nova from his own father, the two had agreed to split their duties to the Nova Corps and to Earth, and Centurion Prime had allowed it. Each would spend six months in space and six months on Earth, ensuring a Nova be committed to the Corps and to Earth should the need arise. But Richard's time on Earth was nearing its end, and Mrs. Alexander was expecting her son to come home again soon. He was only 16, after all.

"Centurion Prime, you must reconsider-Sam has a mother worrying about him and anticipating his return home. His time of Xandar duties is complete for this year; you must-"

"Our decision is final, Rider," came Centurion Prime's cold response. "We are not negotiating this."

"With all due respect, ma'am."

Rider looked behind him from the screen, as Centurion Prime's face on the screen came to look at the intruder into the conversation. A man wearing the colors of the American Flag, a starred shield on his back, walked in their direction, and Rider knew Rogers well enough that he was going to make his opinion heard no matter what.

"Ma'am, Sam Alexander is of the Nova Corps, we respect that; but he is also of our people, and one of us as an Avenger," Captain America spoke with his trademark tone of respect with a touch of authority. "We made a deal with your people and we have always kept our side of the bargain. We would prefer to have Sam return home, back to his mother-he is only a child, after all."

Centurion Prime seemed to contemplate the Avenger's words, and for a minute, Richard thought she was actually going to change her mind. But…

"Be that as it may, Avenger, a Nova's first responsibility is to the Corps. Regardless of other commitments, we are a military institution tasked with the peacekeeping of this universe, and we will not simply waive our decisions."

"Well, will you at least tell us why you won't let Sam return on time? You owe us that, Centurion Prime," Richard demanded, anger edging into his voice. "I need something to tell his mother as to why her only son isn't coming home when he should."

Centurion Prime did have to admit, she did at least owe that much. "You must know, Richard Rider, that we have the best interests of all Novas in mind. We feel that Sam Alexander requires some more training and education for his duties throughout the various galaxies. I assure you, we will return him to Earth immediately once he is-"

She stopped suddenly, and both Avengers heard why. The planetary alarms of Xandar had begun blaring like crazy, signaling an attack on the Nova Corps.

"Centurion Prime, what's happening?! What is it?!" Richard asked fearfully. He was now very worried that something was happening. And with Sam still on Xandar…

"There is an entity approaching Xandar at…astonishing speeds," she replied. Then her eyes opened up wide in horror. "By the stars, it has cosmic essence about it! ALL NOVA CORPS MEMBERS, INITIATE PLANETARY DEFENSES, WE ARE UNDER ASSAULT!"

* * *

***Utopia, off the coast of San Francisco Bay. Home of the Uncanny X-Men; around the same time***

Dodging magnetic blasts for almost a half hour was definitely NOT how Hope envisioned her morning to start out. She had anticipated a nice steaming breakfast of fried eggs, sausage and even wanted to try out chorizo over on the main land, something Warpath had recommended to her. But of course, Scott had told her she would be starting early morning training sessions; and Magneto was definitely a stubborn trainer, at that. Luckily, he had finally stopped.

"Magneto…is this…really…necessary?" she asked as she gasped for air. "Who is really gonna be shooting magnetic blasts at me?"

"You're missing the point then, Hope," the former villain replied, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. "We're training you to be fast on your feet, in the event you suddenly lose your powers. That is a situation that really requires one to be fast on their feet."

Hope looked at him in shock. "Then why are you using YOUR powers?! That's not fair!"

"Do you honestly think the Marauders or the Purifiers will play fair in combat?" That shut her up. "You can rest for five minutes, then we will proceed once more," Magneto said, and his response to Hope's groan was a small smirk.

A few stories above them, Emma Frost and Scott Summers, clad in regular wear, watched the pair from their balcony as Magneto continued to train Hope. It didn't take telepathy for Emma to know that Scott was immensely proud of Hope, a pride that grew more each and every day. He was still upset over the events of recent-how he and Logan had disagreed on how the next generation of mutantkind be trained, resulting in him, Kitty, Rogue, Beast and a few others to leave and restart the Jean Grey School; though he was still shaken up about it, both Scott and Logan remained on good terms, and agreed to cooperate in both their methods. This served to lift up Scott's mood, and his pride in his surrogate granddaughter helped lift his spirits even more.

"She is really coming along well, Scott," Emma said as she cuddled up against her lover.

"She is, isn't she?" Scott's beaming smile was not enough to express his pride. Hope had really come through in her training under the various X-Men, and it was clear that she was just going to get better. Even with the hard times that Magneto, Emma and himself gave her, she strived to go beyond her limits. She was a Summers kid, alright.

"Love, as much as I would enjoy watching Hope sweat away her morning, I believe you were taking me to breakfast on the mainland?"

"Why, yes, I believe I was," Scott replied as he kissed her. She was like no other woman he had ever-

"AARRRGGGGHHHHH!"

"SCOTT! EMMA!"

The ear splitting scream had already gotten their attention, so Magneto calling them wasn't necessary. But as they looked over the balcony edge, they were greeted by a shocking sight. Hope was writhering around on the ground, but what caught their attention was the fact that she was partially covered in FIRE, and her eyes were glowing a bright flaming orange-red. The kicker though, was the shape the fire was taking…almost birdlike, like-

"HOPE!"

Without a second thought, Scott jumped down from the balcony onto the ground, pushing the thought of the shape out of his mind, not wanting to think about it, and landed gracefully and rushed over. Emma, after a quick think over, decided the stairs were more appropriate.

'Magik, Namor, Psylocke and Nemesis!' she called telepathically. 'Get to the plaza, NOW!'

"Erik, what happened?!" Scott immediately knelt down and tried to figure out a way to touch Hope without burning himself.

"I don't know! One second, she was simply drinking water, then she starts rolling and screaming, and the fire comes out of nowhere!" He quickly looked back at the screaming teenager. "Scott, the flames-"

"Not now Erik! Focus on how we get to Hope!"

Emma, flanked by Psylocke, Magik, Namor & Dr. Nemesis, now ran towards them, each of them cringing at the sound of Hope's agonizing screams.

"Hope! Don't worry!" Scott yelled as he tried to get her to focus on him. "Emma and Betsy are here to help and Illyana-"

At the sound of his voice, the flames magnified and immediately Hope shot up and her arms grabbed Scott. At that instant of contact, pain like he had never felt before seared into his brain and mind. Everything went dark around him and all Scott could hear was the sound of his own agonizing screams. He fell down onto his knees, hands on his head in a futile attempt to calm his pain. As Scott screamed, Hope fell from his side.

"SCOTT!" Emma immediately tried to run to him, but was stopped by Namor.

"Frost, you don't know what this is-it could affect you, too!"

"Namor, let me go! SCOTT!"

"Oh my god!"

All eyes-minus Scott's-turned to Hope as she got back up; her eyes were back to normal, but the flames were still on her, just starting to disappear. But she shockingly took no notice of that.

"What's going on?! What's wrong with Scott!?"

* * *

***Andromeda Strain solar system, Deep Space. Xandar, homeworld of the Nova Corps, currently under attack***

Out of shock, fear and horror, Sam could not move.

Before his eyes, hundreds of thousands of Nova Corps soldiers tried to fight back the gigantic flaming entity and keep it from Xandar. But they were powerless to stop it; they could not do so-their attacks and the planet's defenses were like flies to this attacker. Already, Xandar was engulfed in flames and breaking apart at its seams, everything crumbling and falling apart. They were fighting a losing battle, but still they pressed onward.

"Do not yield!" Centurion Prime's voice echoed for all to hear. "No matter what, the Nova Corps shall NOT fall before the Phoenix!"

The Phoenix?!

Richard had told him about the Phalanx, but what the hell was a Phoenix?! Sam had never heard of it before, but seeing the catastrophic destruction it was wreaking upon Xandar, he felt like he preferred it when he didn't know this thing existed.

"Prime!" one of the Centurions flew yelled as he flew over, his helmet gone and his face and armor burned greatly. "We've lost too many of our people! We cannot stop it-Xandar is lost!"

She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to believe that they could win and save Xandar. But it was hopeless and she knew it; Centurion Prime feared no enemy, but she had never faced this enemy-even Galactus left Xandar alone, but this enemy knew no bounds. Xandar was truly lost, and she had only one option left if the Nova Corps were to be preserved.

"Worldmind, begin downloading."

When it was complete, only one thing was left to do.

"SAM ALEXANDER-CATCH!"

Snapping out of his horror trance, Sam barely caught Centurion Prime's helmet.

"Get to Earth! Give that to Richard Rider! The Nova Corps' future is in your hands!"

"Wait, what-?!"

"GOOO!" she yelled as she blasted him, sending him flying a good distance away from Xandar. Just as the flaming entity let out a echoing, birdlike screech; immediately, flame procured from it and consumed the entirety of Xandar. The remaining thousands of Novas perished instantly in the flames. Xandar immediately shook in explosion, thousands of chunks of the planet shooting into space. The resulting shockwaves resonated violently, sending Sam hurdling hard off into the emptiness until he regained a steady flight. He turned back to see what was left. He regretted it instantly.

Xandar was gone, the only signs it ever existed were the floating chunks of planet floating in the abyss of space.

Xandar was gone, and all that was left of the inhabitants was Centurion Prime's helmet in his hand. Sam Alexander was the sole survivor of the Nova Corps.

A full minute passed before Sam realized the flaming entity was head right towards him. It began shrinking in size from the full planet size it was just minutes ago, getting smaller and smaller as it approached him. Sam could nothing, frozen in fear, as the entity came up to him…

Then, the consuming flames came.

* * *

***Avengers Tower, Earth***

Richard had seen the flames on the screen, the chaos and carnage as the bodies of his fellow Corpsmen were flung into the room Centurion Prime had just been in. The structure seemed to collapse and was soon consumed by the flames.

When the static finally took hold of the large screen, it was as if he knew…

"It's gone…Xandar, Prime…all of it…the Nova Corps…Sam…all gone."

Cap's hand came down onto his shoulder. "Richard…" he said in a calm voice.

Richard Rider stood silent for a minute, then started walking towards the door.

"I have to let his…mother know…"

* * *

***Utopia***

"Scott, snap out of it!" Hope cried as she slapped him again and again. It was of no use; Cyclops was still screaming in pain and now was shaking uncontrollably on the ground. Magneto was barely able to hold back and restrain a tearing Emma. Magik and Namor were checking over Hope to see what had caused the flames, which had by now left her.

"Emma, Betsy," Illyana said nervously. "You both may have to get into his mind and force him to calm down."

Emma didn't want to, wanted to find another way, because if this was a telepathic assault and the two of them did something wrong, the potential psychic backlash could kill Scott. But they had no choice now.

"Ready, Emma?" Psylocke's voice was filled with sympathy.

"Um…" Emma drew a quick breath. "Yes, I am ready." She would do this for him.

So as Namor held Scott's shaking body on the ground, the two telepaths placed their hands on Scott's head and both screamed the same thought into his mind: 'SCOTT, SNAP OUT OF IT! CALM DOWN!"

Suddenly, Scott stopped screaming and moving uncontrollably. Slowly getting up, his eyes began to refocus on his team around him. It seemed like the worst was over, and Emma smiled graciously-

Until Scott unleashed a final, bloodcurdling scream and a gigantic surge of heat and flame engulfed him out of nowhere-at the exact same moment a massive birdlike scream echoed throughout all of Utopia. Scott suddenly collapsed onto the ground, and immediately Emma knelt by his side.

"It's ok, love," she whispered into his ear as he fearfully clung to her. "It will be alright, Scott, I promise it-"

The others immediately noticed she had stopped talking. Now, Emma had a face of shock, confusion and…fear?

"Frost?" Nemesis asked.

"Do you hear what he's whispering?" Emma asked quietly.

They leaned in to realize that Scott was indeed whispering, and it was the same word, over and over. The same name, and hearing it sprout fear and shock into the hearts of all of them, save Namor and Hope.

"Jean…Jean…"

* * *

***Remains of Xandar***

She was beautiful.

Her hair, a beautiful fluff of red, bounced-no, floated in the emptiness of space. She bore a sad smile on her lips; almost as if she was…regretful of what she had done to him. Her eyes burned with a great fire, the likes of which he had never seen before, and they seemed to look right into his soul. She was adorned in what appeared to be black leather clothing or armor, the top covered in a golden chest plate that also protected her shoulders while it cut open over her breast, revealing a sight that could drive men mad. She wore long boots and gloves that appeared to be made of dark red leather, and her waist was wrapped with a bright scarlet sash. Around her, an aura he recognized as cosmic in nature burned, and it was in the shape of a bird.

Sam was heavily charred, but these were not like regular burns-they seemed to burrow through his flesh into his very being. When he had tried to fight her off, he ended up coming off bad, and he had heavy bruising and was badly injured. But then she had frozen him in place, clearly not interested in hurting him more than he already was. Sam was in terrible shape, and he had a feeling she was helping him stay conscious.

'I am so sorry, young Nova. I wish I didn't have to do this is the way of life, death and rebirth; the creation of new life, a new cycle.' Her words echoed in his mind as Sam realized she was speaking to him telepathically. She was a psychic…just how powerful was this woman?

'You are human, I see, but not Richard Rider though; it doesn't matter-I have a job for you, beside the one the Centurion Prime gave you. When you return to Earth, tell them all I am returning, that I am finally going to bless my people with new light; that they should not resist, but embrace this new change, embrace new life.'

Earth…he had to get to Earth…and warn them, the Avengers…

The red in her eyes dissipated, revealing the most beautiful shade of emerald green Sam had ever seen in his life.

'Announce to them that Jean Grey is finally coming home.'

Sam stared at her for a full minute, even as she released him of her hold. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and a surge of energy flowed through him, albeit it was only a temporary surge she had given him. Mustering all the strength he had, Sam turned to the direction of Earth and took off, going as fast as hyper speed could take him.

Jean Grey watched as he became nothing more than a speck in the vast blackness of space. Then, she turned around to the remains of Xandar and got to work.

**_XXXXXXXXXX-A/N-XXXXXXXXXX_**

**_What did you think? Reviews and feedback are always welcome, my friends :) What did you like, didn't like, improvements, suggestions, anything_**

**_The next chapter is coming soon, meanwhile check out my other stories._**

**_Until next time readers :)_**


	2. She's Coming

_**Sorry it took awhile to update this, I've been caught up in my other ongoing stories (which I think you should check out too). Anyways, chapter 2. Enjoy :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, the Avengers, or any other Marvel characters in this story.**_

Chapter 2: She's Coming

"…she is not just a host; she is the Phoenix and the Phoenix is her."

-Death, Classic X-Men #43

***Earth. Avengers Tower, two days later***

Captain America watched as Mrs. Alexander sobbed in her chair. When Richard had given her the news it hit her very hard indeed. Cap could not begin to imagine the emotional pain that was tormenting her; she had lost her husband to the duty of the Nova Corps, and now she had lost her son. She was all alone now.

Mrs. Alexander had been brought to the Tower last night by Nova. He had been there for her in her time of need, being her support. Steve knew that Richard was holding in his own grievances about the situation. Xandar was gone, sure-every soldier felt some type of way when their fellow comrades in arms and their base was destroyed, but the kid in his charge, Sam Alexander, had died…on his watch. That had to be hard on him.

On the other side of the room, Tony Stark and Hank Pym were looking at the data they had gathered from what little they had gathered from the footage of the attack. They were hoping that there was a small chance for Sam…that maybe somewhere out there…but from what they saw on the footage didn't help their hopes.

"It's gone," Richard said to no one in particular. "Xandar, Centurion Prime, my squad…it's all gone, just like that. I have no idea how it happened, and I lost Sam…I'm the last Nova alive."

"Have you ever seen anything like this, Richard?" Stark asked as he turned to him. "There's not a lot of data we can get from the footage. It'd help if we had some prior knowledge."

"I've got nothing, Stark; I've never seen this kind of power before, that level of destruction. Maybe one of the other Novas had seen it before, but they're all dead now, so…"

"Richard," Mrs. Alexander spoke up as she wiped away some of her tears. "His body…he wanted to be buried next to his father if…if anything…"

Nova didn't respond at first, obviously in heavy thought about what to say in response. Looking up at her, he held a very serious expression.

"I'll bring you his body," he said with not humor in his voice, and then he turned to Rogers. "Then I'm going to find out what happened and go after what did this."

Stark and Rogers exchanged looks and both came to a silent mutual agreement.

"Nova, you can't-"

"Don't try and talk me out of it, Captain. I've made up my mind; yeah, it might kill me if I do find it, but I'm taking it with me."

"Actually," Captain America smirked, "I was going to say you can't go at it alone. You're an Avenger, and we stand by our own. Let a team come with you, at least."

"Oh." Well, Richard Rider wasn't it to be THAT easy; he expected a bit more resistance. "Well, in that case," he replied with a smile, "I'd love all the help you can give."

* * *

***Utopia, same time***

It scared Scott to be caught unaware and ill-prepared for situations. But then again, this wasn't your everyday situation; this was something that he never thought would happen. Hell, it never seemed like a possibility to happen, for him to have the dreams again…

For him to hear her voice again…

'…Scott…'

"Leave me alone."

"What?"

Scott looked up with a start, remembering where he was. He was with Colossus, Magik, Storm, Psylocke, Emma, Magneto and Namor, assembled in the meeting hall. He had called them to discuss what had happened to him and Hope two days ago; it would've been sooner if Nemesis had let him leave the hospital wing a day ago.

"Sorry, guys…"

"You heard her again, didn't you?" Psylocke asked; in reality, it was more like a statement.

"Yeah, I did," he replied; he cast a side glance at Emma. She was aware of his previous years of his life with Jean before their relationship. He rarely talked to her about it, and Emma had been comfortable with leaving it at that. But with Scott now hearing his dead wife's voice in his head, having her haunt his dreams at night, it made Emma feel very uncomfortable…challenged even. His dead wife was vying for his attention right in front of her. In all honesty, Emma was feeling quite a bit angry and jealous. It was actually quite pathetic.

"Ok, guys. Exactly…what HAPPENED that day?" Scott spoke.

"In my opinion," Colossus said, "I think the Phoenix is coming back." The response was immediate; all the other X-Men, save Namor, remembered the last time the Phoenix came to Earth, and it had cost them Jean Grey. Except for Emma and Magneto, they still carried the devastation of the loss of one of their own. Jean was their friend, their inspiration in battle due to her undying bravery.

"Is there another possibility? Maybe a psychic attack on the both of us, made to hit us where it hurts the most?" Scott asked. Why did Emma find his last five words so hurtful?

"That wouldn't explain why it happened to the both of you, since it didn't seem to impact Hope in that sense," Psylocke countered. "Besides, it doesn't seem like a regular psychic attack. Emma and I scanned for any telepathic assault from the usual: Mastermind, Sinister…but we came up with nothing. However, there was some kind of connection, but it wasn't…telepathic in the usual sense."

"That could still mean someone is trying to manipulate him, maybe feed of his fears," Storm added.

"Storm's right, Betsy," Scott agreed. "What do you mean about the connection, though?"

"Well, it was a connection, I can tell you that much, but it wasn't so much telepathic as it was…emotional, in a sense. It's like you-both you and Hope, though not like you-were emotionally connected to, well, someone." Betsy looked around the room. "It was as if you were one."

Emma unconsciously flinched at her last words.

"So the Phoenix is indeed coming back?" Colossus asked.

"Let's put that idea on the backburner for now," Scott sighed, looking at Magik. "What about the fire, Ilyanna?"

"Nemesis and I checked everything. There was nothing scientific, demonic or magical about the flames," she replied. "But to be honest, it seemed more…cosmic in a way. It was unsettling."

"The fires also seemed to have a remnant of telepathic contact," Psylocke added. "Though unlike the one you had, Scott, it wasn't evident on the flames when they enveloped Hope."

"But, why Hope?" Magneto asked. "Regardless of the connection, the aura should have automatically gone to Scott, not Hope, if it truly had any relation to the Phoenix."

"Can someone explain to me what the Phoenix IS?" Namor interrupted with a touch of authority. Recently an X-Man, the Atlantean mutant monarch had no idea about what the team was talking about, and was indeed curious.

"Namor," Magneto began, "it's somewhat complicated-"

"The bloody hell, it is!" Emma shouted, standing up from her seat in anger. "What is so complicated about the Phoenix?! It's a being that takes life and rebuilds it as it sees fit! It came and took one of our own, Jean Grey! That bird was a bloody apparition of the thing that took Scott's wife and it just proves that Scott has a bond stronger than telepathic or emotional ties to his dead wife! What the bloody hell is too complicated to understand?!"

The entire room was silent after Emma's outburst. Scott was killing himself inside with guilt; he knew that the connection he had with Jean was much stronger than the one he had now with Emma. It was painfully obvious that Emma was now extremely jealous of that fact. There were so many times that Scott could have such a connection with her, but he knew that may never happen. A first love is never easily forgotten or replaced.

"Emma-"

'Not now.' Her thought hit him as she sat back down. Scott simply sighed and decided to face her later and get THIS over with now.

"The Phoenix, Namor," Scott said, "destroys worlds, consumes life, and can even create new life as it sees fit; basically, it's life and death incarnate."

"So it is a god?"

"A cosmic being, like Galactus, but much more dangerous and powerful."

Namor's eyebrow arched up questioningly. "So then what does an all-powerful cosmic being want with a young girl like Hope? I can maybe understand it reaching out to Summers, being it killed his first wife, but why Hope?"

"Maybe it seeks a new avatar?" All eyes turned to Colossus. "Think about it, comrades. Jean and Hope share many qualities, nyet? The same hair, same eyes, same form, even the same bravery; perhaps the Phoenix has a preference for her because of such qualities." They all stayed quiet, registering Colossus' words.

"You're saying that Hope may be the next Avatar of the Phoenix?" Magneto asked. "It's next victim?"

"It is just an opinion."

"She is the Mutant Messiah," Storm added. "Could the Phoenix give her the power…to save our species from extinction?"

More silence.

"This does not leave this room," Scott ordered. "No one says anything to anyone, especially not to Hope." They all agreed and they then exited the meeting room, going their separate ways, each with new thoughts and new things to think about. None of them, even the telepaths, noticed the young redhead hiding in the shadows at the end of the hallway.

* * *

***Avengers Tower, a few hours later. Sunset.***

"Carol, open the bloody door!"

Cap and Iron Man did a double take back as they peered down the hallway they had just passed. There stood Jessica Drew, Spiderwoman, knocking on the door of Captain Marvel's quarters-or rather, slamming her fist into it.

"Jessica?"

"What, Stark?!"

"Wwwwwhat are you doing?"

"Trying to get Carol out of her room; for the love of-CAROL, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR OR SO HELP ME-"

"Not in there, Jess," Wolverine smirked as he walked past her, a beer bottle in his hand. "She's in Spidey's room."

Jessica stopped immediately, letting loose a small chuckle. "Now, how did I forget to check in there?" With that she flew off.

"Jess, when you find her, tell her Stark and I need her on the roof!" Steve called after her.

"Well, there goes our night out!"

"Um, Logan," Stark said. "Are you sure you should be getting drunk when you're going back to your school, which I still can't believe you run, by the way?"

"Why do you think I'm getting drunk in the first place? Damn annoying little bastards…" Laughing at his words, Rogers and Stark got to the Avengers Tower rooftop hangar five minutes later. Already there were Thor, Protector, Valkyrie, Nova, Captain Britain, Black Panther and Mrs. Alexander.

"Is this everyone?" Mrs. Alexander asked as she saw the two leaders of the Avengers approach.

"No, we're waiting on one more," Captain America replied. No sooner did the words escape his lips than Captain Marvel appeared flying from the doorway to the hangars, though she was slightly red in the face and her usually well-kept hair was somewhat messy, even in the ponytail she had made it into.

"You and Peter have fun?" Stark joked.

"I can break you in two, remember that?" Carol replied, but a blush started creeping onto her cheeks. "So, what's going on?"

"The Nova Corps were destroyed about two days ago, and Sam was still up there when it happened," Richard replied bluntly and simply. With the exception of Cap, Stark and Mrs. Alexander, everyone there stared flabbergasted at him.

"Odin's beard!" the two Asgardians gasped.

"Sam's…gone?" Carol uttered in shock.

"Oh, my Lord," Captain Britain said, turning to Mrs. Alexander. "Ma'am, my most sincere-"

"No time for that, Sir Brian," Cap said bluntly, silencing everyone there. "Nova's going out to the remains of Xandar to search for any survivors, and if possible, bring Sam's body back for a proper burial; afterwards, he's heading out to find the thing that caused this to happen. A team of Avengers is going to be joining him. That's you guys and Iron Man here." The team, after recovering from the initial shock of the news, did their best to reign in their emotions and focus on the task at hand. They'd go with Nova and help avenger Sam; they were Avengers, after all.

"Then that is what we shall, do, Captain," Thor stated with assurance, and the others nodded their agreement.

Stark then spoke up. "We head out tonight. If we find the body or any survivors, Sam included hopefully, we load them onto the Quinjet and Panther will bring them back to Earth where-"

"Sir," JARVIS interrupted. "Director Brand of SWORD is on the line."

"Tell her I'm busy. Now, like I was saying, Panther will return them here, then rendezvous with us back at-"

"Sir, I'm afraid Director Brand is insisting to speak with you or Captain America," JARVIS interrupted again.

With a loud groan, Stark relented. "Fine; put her on the line."

"Stark, we have a problem."

* * *

***Milky Way Galaxy, specifically the Sol Star System. Somewhere past Saturn***

'Gotta keep going…almost there…

Slipping in and outta consciousness…NO! Gotta stay awake, make it…

Stay focused…make to Earth…

Warn…

Earth's mightiest….

Jupiter…I'm…almost there…'

* * *

***The Peak, Orbital HQ of SWORD***

The green haired woman stared out the windows, in the direction of Mars. It wasn't normal for her to be scared, mainly because not much scared her any more. After all, she was in charge of the planet's first line of defense against all extraterrestrial threats. Facing the Skrulls, the Shi'ar, Thanos, the Kree and a bunch of other threats had hardened her demeanor. Being half-alien, half-human mutant as strengthened her already high esteem.

But something, right now, was racing to Earth at hyper speed. Something that had been detected less than a half hour ago millions of light-years away, yet had entered their solar system two minutes ago. That was cause for Abigail Brand to be scared.

"Brand, so lovely to hear from you again!" came the voice of Tony Stark through the comm, and Brand was sure there was annoyance laced in his cheery voice. "Listen, this is kind of a bad time. The Avengers are-"

"Going to want to hear this, too," Brand finished for him. "We detected something heading for Earth 3o minutes ago, millions of light-years away, and two minutes ago, it just entered our solar system, telling us it's moving at hyper speed. It is now approaching Mars, and heading here!"

"What are you talking about, Director Brand?" Captain America asked.

"Something is heading to Earth and-"

"Director Brand!" a SWORD agent yelled out. "The object is approaching!"

"Dammit-Sydrill, can you ID it?!"

"It's moving too fast to get a read on!" the alien SWORD agent replied. "I can't tell what…it…" Sydrill gasped and Brand had just enough time to turn and see a blazing ball of blue energy zoom right past the Peak into Earth's atmosphere; directly at-

"It's heading to New York City!" more agents cried out.

"Brand, what's going on up there?!" Stark asked.

"It's heading your way guys! BRACE YOURSELVES!"

* * *

***Avengers Tower, New York City***

"Wait…she said something is heading this way?!" Carol shouted.

"WARNING-INCOMING PROJECTILE ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE!" JARVIS warned. "DESIGNATION: EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN ENERGY NATURE!" Suddenly a loud boom rang out as the sound barrier was broken. They all looked up to a ball of blazing blue energy racing down, directly towards Manhattan; specifically at a passing airplane.

"Oh, crap."

The heroes watched in horror as with a resonating and deafening explosion, the energy ball shot right through the airliner, igniting a ball of fire as the plane broke into two pieces, right through the wing. People began falling out, hurtling into the city below; the blue energy ball continued its path, now heading for the Chrysler Building. Thor was the first to move-whirling his hammer, he took to the skies, and let out their war cry: "AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!" With those words, Iron Man, Captain Britain, Captain Marvel and Nova raced up after him.

"Cap!" Captain America turned to see Hawkeye, Black Widow, both Spiders and Beast run towards him from the hangar entrance. "What happened?! We heard an explosion and-"

"Possible alien invasion, plane was hit, and people are still hurtling down!" Immediately, Rogers' commanding tone took over. "Spider-Man, make sure those people don't hit the ground! Panther, Protector and Valkyrie, with the rest of us-we're going to intercept whatever lands!" Another deafening explosion echoed across the city as the energy ball slammed through the Chrysler building, cleaning ripping off the tower's top peak and sending it cascading downwards to the ground. "LET'S MOVE, AVENGERS!"

In the skies, Iron Man and Nova blasted the broken wing and engine into nothing. Captains Britain and Marvel had branched off to intercept the falling chunk of the Chrysler building, catching it just as it was about to hit the ground and taking it up again to have Carol reconnect it with her energy blasts to the building. Thor, meanwhile, had created a wind vortex with Mjolnir around the plane and as it extinguished the flames, Thor entered the vortex and guided it into the Hudson River, saving the plane and those who remained inside.

"Thor, Nova and I dealt with the wing and engine," Iron Man said through his comm. "Please tell me that the plane-"

"It is safe, Stark," Thor said with a relieved sight. "It and all who remained inside; the only lives left are those that were falling to their deaths."

Back on the streets of Manhattan, Spider-Man looked proudly at the gigantic web net he had created, held from various buildings and now safely holding the 50+ people that were falling to their deaths. "Aaand you're welcome. Those are official Spider-Man spider webs, not sold in stores. Captain, I've got the people who were falling to their deaths. They may develop a fear of heights after this, but other than that, they seem to be ok."

"Captain Marvel and I have reattached the Chrysler Building chunk that fell off," the British Avenger added in.

"Good; Captains Marvel & Britain, help Thor with getting those in the plane to dry land. Spider-Man, once the paramedics and police show up at your position, head over to the crash site of the ball of energy."

"Very well, Captain."

"Yessir!"

"You got it Cap!"

"Cap, what's the status of the big blue…thingy," Stark interjected.

"We're just now approaching it, Iron Man," Cap replied. "We'll be sure to give it hell." With his shield in a passive aggressive stance, Captain America cautiously approached the crash site, flanked by Hawkeye, Black Widow, Valkyrie, Protector, Black Panther, Beast and Spiderwoman. "Wait for my signal, team; we don't want to-"

The rubble shifted ever so slightly, and immediately, they all prepared to attack. Whoever or whatever this was chose the wrong planet to hit. After a few more movements, the rubble stopped shifting, albeit they were small and seemed to falter. The super soldier didn't understand; if this was an alien invasion, shouldn't have they revealed themselves by now?

"Stop! Do you hear that?!" They all turned to Valkyrie, whose eyes were widened in surprise, scanning over the heap of rubble in the crash site. "There, again-a voice!"

"Valkyrie," Hawkeye said cautiously. "Are you ok?"

"You do not hear it?! It's calling for help!" Immediately, the Asgardian sheathed her blade and ran to the chunks of rubble and concrete, her superhuman strength easily allowing her to throw the debris aside. What she unearthed, however, wasn't what she expected and she was shaken to her core. "AVENGERS!" she cried out. They all ran over; Cap and Beast were the first to arrive and what they saw shook them too.

"Richard!" Cap yelled into his comm. "Get down here now! It's Sam, and he's still alive!" He then turned to the mutant Avenger. "Get a med kit, now!" With a nod, Beast dashed back to the Quinjet they used to get to the site, just as Nova and Iron Man touched down, followed by Thor and Captain Britain, and Captain Marvel & Spider-Man weren't far behind. Immediately, Nova ran over to the boy.

"SAM! Oh thank God, you're alive; listen to me, everything's going to be alright, you hear me? You're going to be fine! Jesus, Sam, what happened to you?! What was that thing up there, kid?!" Sam looked terrible; even without worrying about the heavy burn marks and scars on his face, he was clearly fatigued and malnourished. His eyes were bloodshot and he was fighting to stay conscious. Cap was internally grateful for Valkyrie's enhanced senses, or they may have found out it was Sam way too late.

"Med kit!" Beast yelled as he jumped back over. "Stark, what's his status?"

"Internal bleeding, really bad burn marks, and he's slipping in and out of consciousness-and that's the GOOD news! We need to get him to the infirmary, now!"

"Ok-Sam, listen to me, you're going to be ok, kid, you hear me?" Richard said as he tried to pick up the young Nova. It was only then did he realize Sam was mumbling something to him, and that he had something in his hands. "Sam…is that-?"

"Richard…" the young boy replied weakly. "Prime…for you…" He then painfully rose up his hand, giving the older Nova the helmet of Centurion Prime. "Said…Corps lives on…" Richard felt like he had been hit by the Hulk himself. He knew what had happened, but it was just too hard to hear it from Sam, and the wounds opened up as he took Centurion Prime's helmet. The Nova Corps was gone.

"Rich…"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Something…the Avengers…" He was getting weaker, and his breath was getting raspier.

"No, Sam stay with us, son!" Captain America cried worriedly as he grabbed the boy's shoulders; Beast was already starting what he could with the med kit. "It's Captain America, son, and the Avengers are here, too! Stay with us, Sammy!"

"I'm sorry…failed…"

"He's going into shock!" Beast warned. "He's going to slip into a coma!"

'Gotta tell them…' Sam's mind was racing, the strain too much for him now. "Sh-sh…"

"What, Sam?" Nova implored, almost crying. "What is it?!"

"She's…she's coming…" Sam managed to gasp out, but he had to say who.

"Who's coming?!" Cap and Nova pushed, somehow sensing Sam had to say more.

Using all the strength he had left, Sam Alexander raised up his head, looking directly at the two men he idolized most, and said, "She's coming…Jean Grey is coming…"

_CLANK CLANK CLANK._ The sudden noise brought everyone's attention from Sam to Beast. He had dropped the metallic medical kit at Sam's words, and was now staring at the boy with a look of horror and shock. "No…Sam-"

"Jean Grey…is coming home…" Sam managed to say before he went comatose.

"Sam?! SAM!" Nova and Beast yelled out, trying to wake him.

"Get him to the infirmary!" Captain America roared. "NOW!"

_**XXXXXXXXXX-A/N-XXXXXXXXXXX**_

_**Bit dramatic near the end, yeah, but I thought it caught it really nice.**_

_**So, what did you think? Please leave a review, some feedback, all that good stuff, so I can know if people like this story :)**_

_**Next chapter coming soon, everyone; in the meantime, check out my Justice League story, "Justice League Tomorrow," which also launched today**_

_**Well, then, Until next time readers.**_


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